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Minerals: Characteristics, Identification, and Examples, Study notes of Geology

Aligarh Muslim UniversityGeology

The characteristics of minerals, including their solid state, formation by inorganic processes, and specific crystal structures. It also covers the identification of minerals based on physical properties such as color, luster, crystal shape, cleavage, hardness, and density. Examples of minerals and their chemical formulas, as well as the concept of atomic substitution. It also explains the importance of mineral abundance in the earth's crust.

Typology: Study notes

2012/2013

Uploaded on 07/18/2013

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6. Minerals II (p. 78-87)
What is a mineral?
The five characteris tics required in order for a compound to be a mineral are:
• it must be ________________________________________
• it must be ________________________________________
• it must have been formed by _________________________
• it must have ______________________________________
• it must have ______________________________________
Characteristics of Minerals
We will work through the following list of items to deter mine which of them, if any, are minerals:
steel, plastic, sugar, table salt, mercury, ice, coal, sea shell,
obsidian, mica, chalk, coral, paper, gold.
Naturally Formed
No substance crea ted artificially is a mineral.
Examples of artificial substances: ________________________________________
Solid
Liquids and gases are not minerals, irrespective of their chemical compos ition.
e.g. petroleum cannot be a mineral.
Is water a mineral? _________. What about ice? YES / NO / CAN’T D ECIDE YET
Is molten rock (lava) a mineral? _________
What can we eliminate from the list because it isn’t a solid? ____________________
Formed by Inorganic Processes
Anything formed from a living organis m and containing organic materials is not a mineral.
Is coal is a mineral? _______
Explanation: ________________________________________________________
So which were the organic materials (i.e., not minerals) ?: ___________ ____________ _
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6. Minerals II (p. 78-87)

What is a mineral? The five characteristics required in order for a compound to be a mineral are:

  • it must be ________________________________________
  • it must be ________________________________________
  • it must have been formed by _________________________
  • it must have ______________________________________
  • it must have ______________________________________ Characteristics of Minerals We will work through the following list of items to determine which of them, if any, are minerals: steel, plastic, sugar, table salt, mercury, ice, coal, sea shell, obsidian, mica, chalk, coral, paper, gold. Naturally Formed No substance created artificially is a mineral. Examples of artificial substances: ________________________________________ Solid Liquids and gases are not minerals, irrespective of their chemical composition. e.g. petroleum cannot be a mineral. Is water a mineral? _________. What about ice? YES / NO / CAN’T DECIDE YET Is molten rock (lava) a mineral? _________ What can we eliminate from the list because it isn’t a solid? ____________________ Formed by Inorganic Processes Anything formed from a living organism and containing organic materials is not a mineral. Is coal is a mineral? _______ Explanation: ________________________________________________________ So which were the organic materials (i.e., not minerals)?: ________________________

General Chemical Formula Minerals always have a generally consistent chemical formula, so atoms are always present in very specific ratios. Is glass a mineral? _______ Explanation: ___________________________________________________________ Which sample can we eliminate that is a naturally formed type of glass? ____________ Chemical formulae may be:

  • Simple (consisting of a single element, called _____________________): Examples: _______________ - chemical formula: ______ _______________ - chemical formula: ______
  • Simple (consisting of more than one element): e.g. ________ (____) - always contains one Si atom for every two O atoms.
  • Complex (many elements) e.g. ________________________: KMg 3 AlSi 3 O 10 (OH) 2 What is atomic substitution? ______________________________________________

Two similar-sized and similar-charged ions that often substitute for each other in minerals are _________ and __________. Example of atomic substitution: Olivine - (Mg, Fe) 2 SiO 4 In olivine, there will always be two atoms of either Mg or Fe (or one of each) for every one Si atom and every four O atoms. Characteristic Crystal Structure The atoms in a mineral are organized into regular, repetitive geometric patterns in three dimensions, called a __________________. We therefore say that all minerals are __________________. The crystal structure of any mineral is a unique characteristic of that mineral.

  • color or streak
  • luster
  • crystal shape
  • cleavage
  • hardness
  • density Color: What causes a certain type of mineral (e.g., quartz) to come in a variety of colors?

For what type of minerals do we find the streak? ________________________ Luster: Luster refers to how a mineral surface reflects light. The two types of luster are ________________ and ___________________. Crystal Shape: The planar surfaces on the outside of a crystal are called _________________. The angles between different faces are called _______________________, and they are always constant for any particular mineral. Cleavage: What are cleavage planes? ____________________________________________ Do not confuse cleavage planes with crystal faces. They look very similar, but only the very outside edges of a crystal are crystal faces, but there are many potential cleavage planes inside the mineral along which the crystal may break apart. The angles between different cleavage planes inside a crystal are always constant for a particular mineral. This is why cleavage is such a useful way of identifying a mineral. Do ALL mineral crystals have cleavage planes? ________ What are the curved fracture surface in minerals without cleavage planes?

Hardness: Hardness is how easy it is to scratch the mineral. The strength of the atomic bonds controls hardness.

What scale do we use to identify mineral hardness? : ________________________ The softest known mineral is: ___________ The hardest known mineral is: _____________ Density or Specific Gravity: This is the mass per unit volume (different for different minerals). __________ minerals tend to have the highest specific gravities. Other Properties Halite (table salt): ___________________________ Talc: _____________________________ Magnetite: __________________________ FINAL QUESTION: What happens to calcite when hydrochloric acid is spilled on it?